A Shot in the Dark
by iTrippedandfellforyou
Summary: AU. The problem with the window seat: it's impossible to get out of without crawling all over the person sitting next to you. Apparently, Finland and Sweden were getting crash courses in that today. DenFin. PrusHun. NorSu.


**Title: **A Shot in the Dark  
**Author/Artist: **blackwingsblueeyes  
**Character(s)/Pairing(s): **DenmarkxFinland. PrussiaxHungary. NorwayxSweden.  
**Genre:** Romance/Friendship.  
**Rating: **T  
**Warnings: **None.

**Summary: **((High School AU.)) The Finn sighed, "Sometimes it's actually better to get it out in the open and be honest in a cliche way than to leave it unsaid."

Denmark stopped juggling the keys. "I... It's just one of those things you can't say without feeling ridiculous."

**A/N: **Hey. This is for all the people out there who are willing to give DenmarkxFinland and NorwayxSweden a shot ^^

**Enjoy!**

**A Shot in the Dark**

**~.~**

_"Shot in the dark" __(Informal) __- an attempt that has little chance of succeeding._

**~.~**

Finland looked around the front lawn as he stepped off the morning bus. It was about 8:45 which meant that there was still fifteen minutes to kill before the first bell rang. He supposed he could look for Sweden, but the Finn didn't really have the energy this morning. He wasn't up for much of anything right then, especially not after the long night he'd had yesterday.

He rubbed his eyes quickly, letting his feet take him through the school gates and towards the quad. Finland recognized a bunch of the people milling around, but he didn't know them well enough to pop by and say hi. Maybe he would later in the year when he was more confident in who his friends were.

He shuddered as someone suddenly ruffled his hair from behind. Whipping around, the Finn turned to see Russia passing by, smiling sweetly at him.

"Morning, Finland," the taller boy chirped cheerfully, and then without waiting for a response, Russia kept walking towards the far side of the quad, over to where the trembling trio were huddled.

Finland's hand came up to touch his head, his eyes blinking a few times dazedly.

_Weird... _He hardly even knew Russia. They'd spoken to each other once, and that had only been for a class assignment.

Shaking it off, Finland changed direction, dragging his feet towards the staircase now. It was better to be early than late, and if he couldn't find Sweden and if Estonia was busy with Russia, then he'd be better off just reading a book in the classroom.

As he looked around and noticed all the little groupings of friends, he felt a dull tug somewhere in his chest. He even spotted Denmark speaking heatedly with a girl that the Finn didn't recognize. The other boy didn't seem to notice him as he passed by, so Finland kept walking towards the D wing doors.

He'd really have to talk to Sweden about a place where they could meet up in the morning.

The light got dimmer as he went in through one of the side doors of the building, the click of it shutting behind him sounding really cool and ominous. For whatever reason that Finland couldn't explain, he loved this staircase. Not many people really used it anymore, and it was a good place to be alone, even if you would only be there for the three flights of stairs you had to walk.

He trudged up slowly, his eyes on his feet, and hardly noticed the two people that passed by him. Prussia's boisterous cackle was hard to miss, though. Finland glanced up and saw that it was, in fact, his albino neighbor. The girl he was with seemed a somewhat exasperated with him, as far as Finland could tell from the back. Her body language radiated annoyance.

Finland expected them to stop on the second floor, but they kept going up, heading the same way as him. He felt a little awkward trailing along behind them, especially since he couldn't help but overhear what they were saying.

Something about vital regions and sacred nipples. Finland smiled awkwardly, only understanding half the joke.

When they were safely off the staircase, the girl--_Hungary_ was what Prussia kept calling her--shoved the albino hard, almost a bit playfully. Prussia smirked and said something quietly to her that Finland couldn't catch. The younger boy had already decided to walk a safe distance behind them.

Finland almost sputtered as Prussia pulled the girl right up against him--_in the middle of the hallway, where anyone could see_--and kissed her square on the lips. The Finn stopped walking, he didn't know what to do. He felt... weird, intruding, and if he was being honest, a little _jealous _of the way she responded to him with only a bit of hesitation.

But mostly, Finland just felt embarrassed. His cheeks flamed strongly as he ducked into his classroom and out of site, thanking god that he wouldn't have to walk past them.

Sometimes, the seniors at this school were really, _really_ weird.

**~.~**

Finland power-walked down the hall, Iceland trying to keep up with him on slightly shorter legs. The late bell for third period rang a millisecond after they made it to the C wing, Finland speeding up to catch the door before the teacher locked them out. He held it open for Iceland, closing it behind them softly as they slipped in. The teacher raised an eyebrow at them, but let them take their seats without a tardy slip.

The other students had formed a line to the notebooks at the front table, so Finland set his backpack down at his desk and then joined the end of it. A few people cut in front of him, and Finland didn't really mind. The polite people usually ended up last in line, anyway.

The boy in front of him laughed and smiled at a girl wearing a headband, asking her for her name. The girl didn't really respond much, so the golden-skinned boy turned around to face Finland. The blond felt uncomfortable, knowing that the dark-haired boy had to be looking at him, since there was no one behind him.

"Hey, you're in my biology class," the boy stated cheerfully, smiling at Finland. The next words he spoke were lost as the headband-wearing girl burst into laughter with another girl.

"Hello," Finland responded simply, feeling a little embarrassed that he hadn't heard what else the boy had said.

"You look cold," the boy repeated after a beat.

Finland smiled at the randomness of the statement. "I do?"

It was about 95 degrees today, so Finland had no idea how it was even _possible_ to seem cold. Maybe it was something in the way he was standing, with his posture just barely curled in on itself.

The boy grinned brightly. "You do, kind of." Having reached the front of the line, the brunet rummaged through the bin of journals. "What's your name?" he asked without looking up.

"It's Finland. What's yours?"

"I'm Spain," he murmured, concentrating on pulling his notebook out of the stack. Finland expected Spain to move on now that he had his, but the dark-haired boy just kept searching through. "Ah ha! Here you are," He tugged another one out, offering it, "Finland."

Spain's bright green eyes met his, and for the first time, Finland really looked at him straight on. It was one of those moments where you just kind of stare and realize _Whoa, that's a really beautiful person _and wonder why exactly they're paying attention to you.

"Thanks so much," Finland chirped, taking it from him and going back to his seat. Iceland was already started on today's journal, so the Finn figured he'd better get to it. As he leaned down to reach into his bag for a pencil, Spain came by and placed papers on Finland and Iceland's desks.

"We were supposed to pick them up at the front," Spain explained, sitting down in the seat behind Iceland.

Finland flushed a little, not really embarrassed by his spaciness, just surprised at the other boy's thoughtfulness. "Thanks again." He flashed Spain a big smile.

"_De nada_." Spain waved a hand.

Iceland finally looked up, having been trying to concentrate on the assignment up until then, and noticed Spain sitting right behind him. His ice blue eyes stared at the newly placed paper on his desk for a drawn out moment, and then Iceland quickly went back to writing with his head bent over his paper. Finland couldn't really tell, because his friend's white-blond bangs were hiding his face, but he thought the tips of Iceland's ears looked a little pink.

**~.~**

The outbursts around Finland were unsettling, just a little. It was hard to think that every voice in this cafeteria had a friend they were talking to. Every giggle and laugh was being caused by something or someone.

Finland's voice went unused at the moment, his cheek propped on his arm as he stared out the window.

His stomach was growling hungrily, but thankfully no one could hear over the constant talking of the lunchroom. The Finn wasn't particularly starving, but being surrounded by food and soda and _water _made his throat go dry.

Too bad he had overslept this morning and hadn't had time to pack a lunch. Or remember to put his wallet in his pocket. Really, Finland could've kicked himself in his stupidity. He hadn't even thought to check that his schedule was with him. And of course, it hadn't been. It was only the first week of school and he had had to go on gut instinct alone to remember where his classes were. Oh, and Sweden had helped him find the rooms too, after he'd noticed how lost the poor boy looked.

Finland's stomach clenched a little--he hadn't eaten breakfast, either, in his rush--but he ignored it as he unzipped his backpack and pulled out his notebook. The spiral got caught on his other notebook, and he had to lean down in his seat to unhook it. It snapped as he pulled on it, the sharp end scratching his wrist.

He opened it up and stared at the blank page, trying to focus on where he wanted the next part of his writing assignment to go. Finland's eyes flitted over a few times to his left where Norway and Iceland and Denmark were, half wishing that they would strike up a conversation with him. Norway seemed almost talkative today, turned towards Iceland and half-teasing-half-arguing with him. Finland smiled gently, resting his cheek on his palm again, and turned to face away from them.

His stomach rumbled again, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked back down at his paper.

It didn't bother him that they weren't offering him anything to eat. No, it was the fact that they simply didn't even _notice_ he had nothing.

An idea struck him for his assignment, and Finland concentrated again on his notebook to write it down. He was so caught up in writing that he didn't realize that Denmark was trying to talk to him until the guy was almost hollering.

The Finn flushed, his eyes coming up to look across the table at his friend. "Huh, what'd you say?"

"Where's your lunch?" Denmark asked, his voice back down to a humanly volume.

"Um, I didn't bring one." Finland forced a smile, looking at the wall behind Denmark.

Denmark nodded and reached into his bag, digging around for a bit before he pulled out a ziplock bag.

The Dane grinned impishly. "Don't laugh. But here, have a cookie."

He set it down directly on Finland's notebook, spreading crumbs all over it and covering the writing. Finland met his eyes, smiling brightly despite that. "Thanks."

"No problem." Denmark held a hand up, sliding back down the bench to Norway and Iceland. Finland hadn't even realized how much distance was between him and them until he couldn't talk to Denmark anymore.

Still smiling, he picked up the cookie and took a bite, brushing the crumbs off his writing journal. He couldn't remember his train of thought from before, but oh well. He read over what he had written, noticing how pessimistic it was sounding, and scribbled over it slowly. He could always rewrite it later when he was in a better mood.

Finland turned to study the clock, calculating that lunch was already about half way over and wondering why Sweden hadn't gotten there yet. Lunch wasn't usually as boring when Sweden was there, because then, at least, Finland had someone who would sit right next to him. It was quiet, sometimes awkward, but never lonely with Sweden.

_"Hey, Finland."_

The Finn grabbed his notebook and put it back in his bag, making sure not to cut his arm on the spiral again.

_"Finland."_

Finland's fingers curled around the new novel he was reading, deliberating whether he should get it out or not.

_"Hello~ Finland~"_

The Finn just about jumped out of his seat when he looked back up again to find Canada staring at him from across the table.

"H-hey, Canada. Have you been there this whole time???"

The Canadian chuckled. "Nah, I'm not _that_ invisible. I just got here."

"Oh."

Canada smiled at him, looking down at the book in Finland's hands and noticing his lack of food. "Did you eat already?"

"Not really," Finland answered, dropping the book back into his bag. He'd finished the cookie a few moments before.

Canada pulled out his lunch and pushed his bag of chips at the Finn. "Have these, then."

Finland fidgeted slightly, his hands twisting together in his lap.

"No, those are yours. I'm okay," he said, more out of politeness than anything.

"It's okay. I don't need 'em."

Finland looked up at Canada for a second, then hesitantly pulled the bag open and plucked out a chip.

"Thanks so much." Finland's lips pulled up into a small smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He noticed Denmark glance over, studying the Finn's smile before the Dane turned away again just as quickly. Finland looked down at the table, the small smile still playing on his lips.

It wasn't because of the food. Not at all about that. He was still smiling because they had noticed and _cared _about him.

Finland raised his head again as a shadow fell over the table.

"Hallo." Sweden raised a hand in greeting. Canada said hello back and scooted down so that Sweden could sit next to him, directly across the table from Finland.

"H-hi, Sweden. Why are you so late?"

"Norway," Sweden grunted.

Finland wasn't sure if that meant that Norway had reminded Sweden to do something during lunch, or if Norway had asked him a favor, or if Sweden was just avoiding the guy. Or maybe they had done something together, as Norway had been a little late for lunch also.

He could never really be sure with Sweden. Short answers like that could be taken in so many different ways.

The Finn's eyes slid over Norway and Iceland to rest on Denmark, and he noticed the weird gap between Sweden and Denmark. A whole person could sit in between and still have wiggle room.

Finland was really no one to talk though, as he had put his own backpack on the bench between him and Norway. He almost wanted to put it down on the floor, just to see if Norway would scoot over to him if he could. But Finland didn't want to risk the disappointment he knew he would feel if Norway didn't.

There was really no need to attempt conversation with his two friends, as Finland knew that neither Sweden nor Canada were extremely talkative. Or well, Canada was talkative sometimes, whenever he felt truly comfortable. Today seemed to one of those days where they were both too tired for idle conversation.

Finland didn't mind. His friends liked it that way, and he didn't want them to feel awkward with stilted conversation. The Finn tapped his foot to the song he had stuck in his head--something about desires and consequences and complicated feelings, a bit lovey-dovey, but it had a good beat.

The silence was a little strained for him as lunch stretched on, especially when he could hear Denmark laughing openly and Iceland's smaller chuckle in the background. Finland wondered what Norway had said.

**~.~**

The instructions on the computer made no sense to Finland as he glanced back and forth between the Word document and the internet page. This was why he _passionately disliked_ computers. You couldn't talk to it, ask it questions like you would a human. Or well, you _could_ ask it questions, but it wasn't exactly the same. Computers had to be programmed to tell you things, and if it didn't have your answer, you were out of luck.

And Finland had no idea _what_ he was supposed to be doing in this Word document. Apparently, it was some kind of web quest, but the instructions on the screen weren't specific at all, and there was only three minutes of class left. This paper was a completion grade, so either you finished the entire thing and got a hundred or didn't finish and got a zero. No in between.

His mind scrambled as he looked up the information on Athens, Greece. He only needed a few more things, having guessed his way through most of the quest, but he just couldn't find what he was looking for. He chewed the inside of his cheek slightly. Call him a geek, but grades were important.

"Here. Let me do it." A hand grabbed the computer mouse, someone leaning over him from behind. The back of Finland's neck prickled as the girl's hair tickled his shoulder. She highlighted a random section of the text, pasting it into Finland's document.

"Mrs. Lindsey, we're done over here," she called loudly across the library.

The librarian finished looking over someone else's paper. Then she came over and stamped both his and the girl's sheets with hardly a glance at their Word document. Finland's jaw hung slightly.

"But... but... I just did all that..._Oh, come on._ _How is that fair_? She didn't even check it." He glanced over at the girl with pouty smiles in his eyes.

The girl laughed noisily, seeming to forget that they were in the library. There was something about her that seemed familiar, but Finland couldn't remember where he'd seen her before. She studied his face for a moment also.

"Heh, you're cute. What's your name?" she asked.

"I'm Finland. And um, thanks. For helping me and all," he laughed at himself, "I never would've thought to do that."

She smiled almost catlike at him, a strange look shining in her eyes. "Finland, huh? ...So you're the kid he was talking about." She grinned toothily, scrutinizing him and seeming to decide something as her eyes lit up even more.

The Finn's head cocked a little, his expression going a little more serious now. "Who...?"

"Uh... Nothing, nothing. I said nothing, forget about it," she avoided the question confidently, standing up to put her backpack on. Finland did the same, stuffing the stamped paper into one of the compartments in his bag.

"No really. You can tell me, I don't care if it's something bad or anything," he tried again.

The girl's eyebrows knitted together and she bit her lip. "...Nah, kid, I can't. Sorry, but I'm sure he'll tell you himself whenever he grows a set."

Finland tilted his head and looked at her at an angle. "...Okay, you've lost me."

The blond girl chuckled, and the bell rang to signal the end of class. "Don't think too much on it," she laughed, then paused, seeming to backtrack in her thoughts. "Or actually, do. Think about it. And maybe you'll figure it out first." She flashed him an encouraging smile, turning to head out the opposite doors.

That didn't really help much, Finland was still confused.

A beat passed as she strutted across the room, and then Finland called out to her, "Hey! You didn't tell me your name."

She pivoted, almost dance-like, and looked at him a little surprisedly. "It's Belgium~!!" she yelled, causing several annoyed library-goers to glare at them, then she waved and disappeared through the doors.

**~.~**

Finland leaned against the pole on the far side of the bus lanes. He didn't really like waiting for the bus, especially not at the end of the school day when all he really wanted to do was go home and relax. It was one of those things you can't control though, so he had learned to cope with it.

Sweden didn't seem to be around now either, and Finland couldn't help but wonder where he kept disappearing to. The Finn scanned the front lawn and saw Denmark gesturing a little goofily to Iceland, but Norway wasn't with them. He was missing, just like Sweden.

Finland's eyebrows raised slightly, a seed of an idea coming to him. Norway had been late for lunch also. Not as late as Sweden, but still a little over ten minutes late. And Sweden had said that Norway had been what made him late for lunch...

Really, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Turning back around to check for his bus absentmindedly, Finland jumped slightly as he came nose-to-cheek with Canada. Heart pounding, he sputtered, "Gah... you... _Seriously_, how do you _do_ that?"

Canada stepped back a little, giving them each their space. "Do what?"

The Finn's pulse was calming down now, he took a breath. "Uh... never mind."

"Okay..." Canada trailed off and looked past Finland's shoulder at someone, his cheeks tinging the slightest pink as he glanced away.

"Just... Next time, say hi or something," Finland suggested, and they both laughed a little awkwardly.

Canada's eyes went past Finland again, and the shorter boy resisted the urge to turn and see who he kept glancing at. The Canadian kept fidgeting, seeming antsy about something.

Finally, Canada said, "Hey, Finn, I'm gonna go make sure my brother.... doesn't miss the bus. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" He adjusted the straps of his backpack, seeming a little apprehensive of abandoning Finland.

Finland turned to look behind him, and sure enough, there America was, speaking animatedly to England. "Sure sure. See you later." He smiled and waved off his Canadian friend.

With Canada gone and no one else to talk to, the thought crossed Finland's mind to go and look for Sweden and Norway to make sure they didn't miss the bus.

But Finland decided against it. After all, he'd already been scarred by Prussia and Hungary today.

**~.~**

Leaning his forehead against the window, Finland searched for some sort of relief against the heat of the bus. There were hardly any people on it yet, and it was already an oven. The Finn put his backpack on the seat next to him, not wanting someone to take Sweden's spot. He closed his eyes tiredly, definitely planning to go to bed at a decent hour tonight. Sleep sounded like a really good idea right then, maybe he'd even let himself doze off once Sweden was there.

Finland tensed when his backpack was dumped onto his lap and Denmark plopped down next to him. The Finn looked around and realized a little sadly that Sweden was already on the bus. The bespectacled boy was sitting with Norway a few rows in front of them. _He must've come in while I had my eyes closed._

Yeah, the thing about the window seat: It's impossible to get out of without crawling all over the person sitting next to you. Apparently, Sweden and Finland were getting a crash course in that today.

"Hey, Finland." Denmark grinned, keeping his eyes trained on the back of Sweden's head. His smile had a bit of an edge to it, and Finland wondered if Denmark suspected what he suspected too.

"So... Norge's found himself a new best friend," Denmark laughed a little sarcastically. "I guess he doesn't need me to sit by him anymore."

If you can pout in your tone of voice, Denmark was doing it.

Finland smirked. "Ah, so you're only sitting by me because you can't have Norway. I see how it is," he teased.

Denmark smiled strongly, nudging Finland in the side. "Nah, I could've sat on his lap if I really wanted too."

Finland laughed, turning his face away from Denmark.

The bus driver waited a moment before closing the doors and pulling off the curb. Finland looked out the window at Canada and America laughing together as the bus drove away.

Denmark rustled for something in his bag, and Finland did the same, pulling out his iPod and sticking in his earphones. He didn't put the music up too loud though, in case Denmark wanted to talk to him.

Denmark finally seemed to find what he was looking for, straightening up his posture, his knee knocking against Finland's. Finland automatically scooted a millimeter closer, hoping Denmark wouldn't notice. Denmark's shoulder touched his, and unlike his knee, it stayed there.

When had the bus gotten hotter? Seriously, if Finland had thought it was an oven before, it was a freakin' sauna now as the humidity changed. He opened the window for some air.

The first song ended and the Finn looked down at the music player to see what was coming next. It was one of the lame ones that he hadn't gotten around to taking off yet, so the Finn scrolled through his music to pick a different one.

"Hey, Finn. Let me pick the next song," Denmark asserted, grabbing the player from him, his fingers brushing Finland's.

"Ah, sure. Just don't turn up the sound." Finland glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, having been on the receiving end of that trick one too many times from Denmark. The spiky-haired boy nodded, mock solemnly.

There was that unmistakeable cackle again, and Finland half turned around to see that Iceland had gotten stuck riding with Prussia. Iceland caught his eye, giving Finland his version of the _oh-god-you've-got-to-be-kidding-me_ look. Finland shot him a sympathetic smile.

A new song started, the familiar guitar filling up the silence.

After the second chorus, Denmark spoke. "Since when do you listen to screamo?" The Dane kept scrolling through the songs, not looking up.

"Err... since Prussia started putting random stuff on there for me? I can't understand what they're saying half the time, but I like the way it sounds."

Denmark smiled a little. "Yeah, I like it too... I've never heard of most of these... Hey, lend me an earphone, will you? I wanna listen too."

Again, Denmark didn't really wait for Finland to say yes, he reached up and stole an earphone from the smaller boy, his fingers untucking the hair that was tucked behind Finland's ear.

Finland was acutely aware of the fact that Denmark was scooting closer so that they wouldn't have to stretch the wire so far. The Finn remembered that it was too hot today, and being this close was probably making it worse with the body heat, but he couldn't actually bring himself to mention this.

He didn't want to breath. Or move. Or do anything to prove that time was passing. For once, he would've been okay with just staying on the bus for the whole weekend, with Sweden and Norway up there in the front, finally having come out in the open to each other about their feelings. Finland was almost positive it had happened. He just wondered who initiated it.

Finland glanced down at the green iPod in Denmark's hands as the style of music changed dramatically, a slow song starting up.

He raised an eyebrow at Denmark, trying not to snort and laugh.

"_What~?_ I like the band, so... And it's on _your_ iPod, anyway," the Dane defended himself, raising his hands. He didn't change the love song.

Finland laughed teasingly, looking out the window at the passing land. They had one of the best bus routes, cutting through the less city-like part of the city, where land was still undeveloped.

The song was putting Finland in a weird mood, so he tried not to concentrate too much on the words. That was kind of hard to do when Denmark turned the sound up.

_Don't want any false starts._

Finland let the feeling of air coming through the window and ruffling his hair cool him. It was almost uncomfortably hot now, he hadn't thought it would get like this today. It didn't even seem that bad outside. Maybe it was something to do with the bus.

_Too soon to take a chance._

Had Denmark really moved that close? Finland didn't remember their thighs touching a moment ago.

_I want to know who you're thinking of  
'Cause I really have no clue_

Finland's tension deflated a little as the slow song ended and Denmark started a new one that was heavy and fast and had no romantic implications at all. He was sure Denmark hadn't meant anything by playing it, and maybe that's what really bothered Finland about this. That they could be so close, in more ways than one, and he still had no freakin' clue what went through Denmark's head at times like these.

It was much more comfortable not to even try to think about it.

The bus slowed to a stop at the traffic light, the bus driver yelling back at them something about friends and notes and permission. Finland couldn't hear her, as Denmark hadn't turned the music down. It wasn't too important anyway. The light turned green again, and as the bus took the sharp turn, Finland's body was pressed even closer to Denmark's.

The shorter boy's cheeks flushed, he wasn't sure if he should scoot farther away, or just not draw any attention to it at all. Denmark didn't seem to notice how close they were, his fingers tapping on the back of the seat in front of them.

It was only when the song changed again, mellower this time, and Denmark still kept drumming to whatever beat the last one had been, that Finland felt the other's shoulders tense, blue eyes darting to him. Taking in the fact that they were, in fact, far too close.

Denmark coughed, turning to face away from Finland.

Taking that as some sort of cue, Finland inched away slowly. Denmark's hand came down the grip Finland's knee, the touch sending a weirdly hot, electric circuit through his leg.

"So, how was your day?" Denmark blurted out, looking ahead to the front of the bus.

Finland smiled at the lateness of the question, and the poorly disguised distraction. Anything to save the friendly mood, the Finn guessed. "Pretty good. I met this really cool girl in my geography class." He blushed a little as he remembered what she'd said. He still didn't understand what she meant by it.

Denmark raised his eyebrows at him, a shit-eating grin spreading across his face. "Ah huh. So let me guess, you like her~"

"Huh?"

"You're blushing," Denmark pointed out teasingly, like that automatically meant Finland was planning to marry the girl. Finland couldn't tell if Denmark was just giving him a hard time, or if he was serious.

"No, I'm n--" _Oh, wait. I _am_ blushing._ "...I don't like her. Or no, that's not right. I do, of course I like her. She's really nice and helped me out, and she even called me cute. But I don't... not like that," Finland finished, probably blushing even harder now.

He would've thought Denmark knew about his _preferences_. It was rather obvious, really. Or maybe Finland was just being overly self-conscious. Sweden knew, so Finland had just automatically assumed that Denmark had picked up on it too. They'd been friends since elementary school, after all. But just like with Sweden, Finland could never really be sure what Denmark was thinking.

"Of course you don't," Denmark replied, still smirking. "So, what's her name?"

"Belgium."

Denmark's fingers tightened on the smaller boy's knee. "Really," he mumbled after a moment, looking away.

Finland felt his gut twist a little, feeling like he was on the edge of something. "What? You know her?"

"Ye... Nah, she's just a girl I've seen around. You know, just someone I've talked to a couple times. She's really... pushy."

Finland definitely thought this was striking a chord somewhere in him. "Like how?"

"Just..." Denmark's cheeks tinged, hardly noticeable. "Ever since she got it in her head that I... She just won't stop pestering me about this _thing _that she thinks I have to tell someone_._"

Finland nodded, like all of this was making sense. It did, a little. He could've let his imagination have its way and think that Denmark had been the one Belgium had been talking about, the person that was always talking about him. But Finland had learned a long time ago that it was a lot easier to stay cheerful when you didn't set yourself up for disappointment.

Denmark turned the volume up, frowning a little. Something about Belgium had sobered him. He seemed to relax a little as another intense song started. Denmark closed his eyes and leaned back in the seat.

"God, this song is creepy," the Dane laughed as if to clear the strange mood.

"That's... kind of the point." Finland grinned too. Creepy or no, this singer had an amazing voice.

The bus reached the last stop on this road, turning into their old middle school parking lot so they could turn around. As they made the U turn, Finland gripped the seat in front of him, making sure he wouldn't lean into Denmark again. Denmark didn't comment on it.

The song played on. Finland let himself relax too, his eyes slipping shut sleepily.

_You're what's been keeping me up at night._

_This old flame, it won't light itself. This needs a compromise.  
You're the spark. I'm the fuse. We'll make the perfect match._

The breeze coming through the window cooled the Finnish boy down a little, dancing in his hair and tickling his cheek. He almost sighed. Yes, screamo music may have sounded hardcore and heavy to an outsider, but when you really listened to the words, the artists were some of the cleverest romanticists.

Finland did breathe a sigh of relief as they made it to the stop right before his. Denmark seemed to be a step ahead of him, gingerly fingering the earphones out of the Finn's ear and wrapping the wire around the music player.

"Here ya are." The Dane curled Finland's fingers around it. "I've gotta say, I never would've pictured you as the badass screamo type."

"I'm not," Finland stated quietly, not sure why he was denying it.

"Really." With the way Denmark said it, not a statement and not a question, Finland didn't know what he meant.

The bus turned off the main road and into their neighborhood, Finland holding onto the seat again so he wouldn't tilt into Denmark. His bus partner didn't follow his example, and Finland ended up wedged between the window and his... friend.

He wasn't stupid enough to tell himself that he didn't like the weightless jump his stomach did. That was the most amazing feeling in the world. The warm, featherlight lurching feeling that even roller-coasters couldn't give you.

The Finn tucked his iPod into his pocket, pulling on his backpack as they pulled up to his stop. He was just trying to figure out a way to get out with as little contact with Denmark as possible, when his Danish partner stood, letting Finland pass with only the slightest brush of their chests. He walked down the aisle carefully--_feeling a little off balance now, and blaming it on motion sickness-_-and waved goodbye to Norway and Sweden as he passed them. They looked at him a little funny, but Finland shook it off and stepped down the stairs, jumping down on the last one out. Prussia was walking backwards slowly, waiting for the Finn in his unconscious way.

The albino smirked, wolf-whistling at him. Finland's neck prickled and he whipped back around just as the bus drove away.

"Oh, god. You scared me," Finland let out a breath, glaring half-heartedly at Denmark. "Why'd you get off on my stop?"

"Um... err... I figured it wouldn't hurt to walk you home." Denmark rubbed the back of his neck, fingers tugging a little at his hair. The taller boy refused to meet Finland's eyes.

"Uh, sure." He smiled encouragingly, hands coming up to grip the straps of his backpack almost nervously.

"Hurry up!" Prussia called loudly, even though he was only a few yards away.

"Yeah yeah," Denmark answered freely, his arm falling easily over Finland's shoulders as they walked towards the older boy. Finland willed his cheeks not to burn so much.

Prussia smiled deviously at them, and Finland was honestly scared for a moment that Prussia would blow this for him. Prussia knew, it was obvious in the way his lips curled knowingly at Finland as they all started walking down the street.

_Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say _anything_, Prussia, or I will castrate your 'vital regions'._

Prussia opened his mouth, and in a bit of a panic, Finland blurted out the first thing that came to his mind, "Where's Germany?"

Prussia sighed dramatically at being denied his fun, but took the hint seriously. "Uh, he stayed late so he could give Italy a ride home. The little weirdo had this bimonthly discussion group that he wouldn't miss for the world."

The Finn smiled at the subliminal affection in Prussia's tone, only showing through to Finland because he'd known the albino for so long. Really, this guy was a beast, he had no weaknesses... except for his brother, the Italian, and the Hungary girl.

"Italy in a serious discussion group... That's a weird picture," Denmark mused.

Prussia scoffed. "Pfft, when did I say it was serious? Honestly, the things they talk about..." Prussia turned to direct his stare towards them, burgundy eyes narrowing critically as he took in Denmark's casual arm around the shorter boy's shoulders.

"You've been to it? What's it for?" Finland questioned, considering maybe even joining himself, because he knew he should probably join at least one club before high school ended.

Prussia looked like he was holding back a shudder. "No, I haven't gone. And I can't tell you about it. I only know what I know because of Hungary, and I've been sworn to secrecy. And trust me, you don't want to know." His red eyes flickered to Denmark again. Finland felt himself blush against his will, although he had no idea what Prussia was implying.

"Err... Alright then," Finland replied skeptically.

Prussia turned down his driveway after a few more steps, waving a hand back at them. "See ya later, DenFin~" He snickered to himself like he'd just made the funniest joke.

His neighbor was weird, that was all Finland could really say.

"What's _DenFin_?" Finland wondered out loud, acutely aware of Denmark's arm around his shoulders, now that Prussia wasn't around to distract him.

"Beats me." Denmark shrugged. "Maybe it means goodbye in German or something."

Finland laughed openly. "Nah, goodbye is _tschüss _in German, I think... for friends."

Denmark grinned, and whether it was intentional or not, leaned closer. "I wouldn't know," he murmured, shaking his head.

"Um..." Finland scrambled for a reply, but he couldn't find one, not with Denmark's arm... and the closeness... and it was so freakin' hot today already, he was practically on fire right now... he just couldn't think straight.

Denmark slowed down a little, knowing that Finland's house was only a few doors down. "Hey, Finn. You... You know about Norway and Sweden, right?" Denmark asked, trying to come across as casual.

"What do you mean?"

"Like..." Denmark trailed off. Finland could've sworn Denmark was blushing, but he didn't want to look. "That they're... together, like _that_."

Finland fingered the straps of his backpack. "How do you know for sure? Maybe they're just studying together in the library during lunch... and before school... and after school... and--"

"I _know_. Norway told me." Denmark stopped walking at Finland's mailbox, holding Finland with him.

"Okay, so they're together. That's great for them." Finland's lips lifted genuinely. "It was about time."

Denmark looked at him with narrowed, analyzing eyes. "Doesn't it bother you, though?" he questioned skeptically, looking down at the Finn.

"...No. Why would it?" Finland felt Denmark's arm tighten around him.

Denmark glanced away, down the road. "You like Sweden," he answered simply.

Finland blinked. "Whoa whoa whoa." The Finn wiggled out from under the arm, only realizing that he hadn't meant to do it when Denmark stepped away. "Where did that come from?"

"It's so obvious," Denmark told him, a little harsher than before. "You're always looking for him when he's not around. And when we fight, you defend him. And at lunch, you put distance between us, but you let Sweden sit right with you."

"Canada sits with me, too," Finland pointed out deliberately.

"Who?"

"Can-a-da. And anyway, I don't... I'm not..." Finland wanted to refute Denmark's statements, but he couldn't think of anything to say. He usually choked like this when it came to confrontations with Denmark. "Sweden's my friend."

"_Right_... I'm your friend too, right? So why don't you do those things for me? Why don't you take _my_ side half the time?" Denmark remarked, more proving a point than asking questions.

Finland answered anyway. "Because... you're not like Sweden. You make friends easier, he's not like that. I don't want him to end up alone, and if I'm not there for him, who will be?"

"Norway will," Denmark answered without a beat.

"_Now, _I guess that's true," Finland sighed. "Look, I'm not going to argue with you over this. Just trust me, Sweden is probably the closest friend I have," he looked pointedly at Denmark, "but I am _not_ in love with him. And this conversation is over."

He reached into his pocket for his keys, already walking up the drive to his front door. He really should've expected that Denmark would persevere, stealing the Finn's keys from behind.

Finland growled lightly, "Done. Over. The conversation is over. Now give me my keys." Finland held out a hand as he bit his bottom lip.

"No, you didn't even let me make my point."

"So make it," Finland replied. Finland tried to keep his tone annoyed, but something about the way Denmark was being--fidgeting and jiggling the keys nervously--made it hard not to at least smile.

Denmark cleared his throat, his hands now tossing the keys back and forth. "Okay, so I was talking to Norge a couple days ago and he let me know about, you know, him and _Sweden. _Uhh, he could've picked anyone, but really, it figures that he would _have_ to pick _that guy. _Maybe he did it on purpose, just to spite me... Wait, what was I saying...? ...Oh right, Norge was talking about losing time or something like that, and he might've mentioned you a couple times. We were in Art, and that Belgium girl butted in and automatically just _assumed_ things... She's really pushy, I said that already, right?"

"Denmark, just make your point, please. It's hot out here."

"Oh, right. My point. Which is--" Denmark scratched his head, glaring at nothing in particular. "Uh, I can't say it."

"Denmark, make your point before I give up on you and break down the door," Finland tried to sound serious, but he didn't actually mean it. Honestly, he probably could've stood there all afternoon in the uncomfortable heat listening to Denmark ramble and struggle for words. It was kind of endearing.

"No, I really can't say it. It sounds stupid and cliche in my head, so it'll sound even stupider and more cliched out loud," Denmark explained.

Finland reigned in his imagination at hearing that. _He's only going to tell me that he's in love with Norway. That's it. That's obviously the cliche here. An unrequited love hooking up with the guy you kinda-sorta hate._

Even if he didn't want to hear the Dane talk about something like that, Finland would listen to him. Because that's what friends do for each other. The Finn sighed, "Sometimes it's actually better to get it out in the open and be honest in a cliche way than to leave it unsaid."

Denmark stopped juggling the keys. "I... It's just one of those things you can't say without feeling ridiculous."

Finland leaned against the wall, figuring that this was going to take a while. Yeah, this was _exactly_ how he wanted to spend his Friday afternoon, discussing his unrequited love's unrequited love for another guy. Really.

"If you can't say it, then can you show me what you want to say, somehow?" Finland dropped his heavy backpack to the ground, his shoulders aching as he rubbed them.

"I dunno... it's not exactly--"

"Show me. Or tell me, it doesn't matter. Just give me my keys." Finland looked up at him through his lashes, an expectant smile--bordering on a glare--making its way across his face.

"Okay... But, close your eyes for a minute." Denmark moved closer, and Finland let his violet eyes slip shut, trusting him blindly only because they'd been friends for so long.

He jumped a little when Denmark touched his thigh, coming far too close to other areas for him to be comfortable. "Relax," there was a smirk in Denmark's voice, "I'm just getting something out of your pocket."

"What are you...?"

"Shh," Denmark murmured, his fingers trailing up Finland's jaw and sticking the familiar earphones in his ears. "Listen."

The music was way too quiet, Finland had to strain to hear.

_You make me happy, whether you know it or not. We should be happy, that's what I've said from the start. I am so happy, knowing that you are the one that I want. _

Finland was trying to concentrate, he really was. It was hard when he could feel Denmark's arms slide around his shoulders, the same way he had earlier. It was different now with his friend's breathe on his cheek.

_I can't deny that when I'm staring you down dead in the eye, I wanna try to be the person you want. The person you need. It's hard to conceive that somebody like you could be with someone like--_

And on the wrong cue, in the middle of the song with only half the words said, Denmark kissed him gently, experimentally. Finland's eyes fluttered open, and he leaned farther back into the wall. The song played around him, and Finland wondered if Denmark was listening too, maybe. Probably not.

Denmark's lips pressed against his again, rougher than before since Finland hadn't pushed him away yet. The stomach-jolting feeling came back infinite times as hard.

"Denmark, I..."

Denmark slipped the earphones out, letting the iPod fall softly to land on Finland's backpack. "Don't make this any more of a cliche," Denmark told him firmly. "Just listen."

Finland did, letting his sentence remain unfinished. His shoulders ached, the bricks behind him were slightly uneven and uncomfortable--especially since he was being pressed into them. They were out on his freakin' front porch, where any poor homophobe could walk by. Denmark was too familiar, too rough, too assuming, too... Denmark.

The shorter boy lifted a hand to Denmark's hair, pulling him closer until their noses touched again. It probably would've even looked sweet if they weren't so tangled up in each other. Maybe it still did, if you considered public displays of intimacy like that sweet.

Denmark bit Finland's bottom lip gently. _I've been seeing you do that all day. _

The Dane's arms came up to rest on the wall on either side of Finland's head. Clear blue eyes met his, and_ nervous nervous nervous_ was all Finland could see in them. The question was out in the open now.

_Do you want me?_

Finland didn't hesitate like he thought he would have. He pushed forward, tilting his head and parting his lips to gasp in a breath. Then he crashed their lips together, just like he'd seen Prussia do earlier. Denmark pushed him farther into the wall. At first, the Finn thought he couldn't feel anything. It was surreal, like the feeling you get when you float at the highest point of the roller-coaster.

And then '_Whoa' _was the infinitive playlist shuffling through Finland's mind as Denmark's tongue slipped through his lips way too soon and invaded his mouth enthusiastically.

In all honesty, roller-coasters sucked compared to this.

**Fin.**

**lkjkjsdkfjskjd 21 pages on Word. Too. much. work. kljksjdfksjdf **

**Lyrics quoted in italics belong to _Trapt_(the song's not their best, I just liked the words) and _Four Letter Lie_. I went back and forth on that last song so many times, and I still couldn't find one I really wanted. Ah well. Oh, and 'The Young Ladies BiMonthly Discussion Group' (the one that Prussia mentions here) was _overcast_****'s brilliant idea, not mine ^^**

***EDIT EDIT~* That song at the end is not the one by Trapt anymore. My friend gave me the absolutely most perfect song, so I changed it. The new one's by _Never Shout Never_****.**

**Review, please? I'd love to hear what you think.**


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